Bible Strands
Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul, writing to the Roman church, in the middle of his argument that present suffering is real but not final (Romans 8:18–25). He is addressing believers living between salvation and its full manifestation.
The words — ὑπομονῆς (hupomonēs, "endurance, steadfastness under strain") names the means by which the waiting is carried out; it is not passive waiting but active holding-oneself-together. The verb ἐλπίζομεν (elpizomen, "we hope") is active and ongoing, not a static state.
The thread — The pairing of hope with endurance recurs in Romans 12:12 ("joyful in hope, patient in affliction"), Hebrews 10:36 ("you need to persevere"), and Psalms 27:14 ("wait patiently for the LORD"). The pattern is consistent: hope is defined by its object being unseen, and that gap is bridged only by endurance.
Why it lands — The verse makes endurance a logical consequence of genuine hope, not a separate virtue to be added. If what you hope for is still invisible, then waiting under strain is not a failure of faith but its necessary form.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Cross-references
- Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
- Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
- Psalms 27:14 Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
- Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
- Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
- Luke 21:19 By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.
- Colossians 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully